Container



Nov.-9, 1948. 1 RICHTER CONTAINER Filed May lo, 1945 "A v l Isl! lll! w li. wmk

' /oa /l 78 66 ,06 @Mag Mc@ Patented Nov.y 9, 1948 UNITED srArss PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 757) 2 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to containers.

A purpose of the invention is to provid-e a conta-iner which is proof against leakage and which hasl considerable strength.

vAnother purpose of the invention is to provide an improved seal for the joints of containers.

. A further purpose of the invention is to provide a water-prooi container which may make use of aminimum quantity of metal.

Another purpose of the invention is to provide an improved watertight container for ammunition and other supplies, which may be dropped overn board and allowed to float to shore.

Other purposes and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following descrip'tion of a preferred embodiment of th-e invention as illustrated -in the accompanying drawing'i in which:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional View `of an assembled cointainer;

Figure 2 is a detail view of one of the joints employed in the container of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a detail view of a joint `according to Figure 2 but with staples added and also showing a method of fastening the ends of the container;

Figure 4 is a detail View of a modified joint and seal ring; Figure 5 is a sectional view ofv a modied form of the invention showing another method ci end fastening `=and sealing;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of another modin fled form of lthe invention showing another method ofend fastening and sealing;

Figure 7 isa detail View of a portion of a jo-int and seal ring formed from a single piece of sheet material, and

Figure 8 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 8--8 of Figure 1.

This invention has particular advantages in application to containers made of such materials as ber or cardboard in the shape of a Cylinder `and in which it is essential that all join-ts be both vstrong' and liquid-tight. Some types of artillery ammunition are packed in such containers for shipment, and ythe containers must be sufciently strong to withstand .the continuous and varied shocks and stresses encountered while in transit. This invention describes a container having improvedlcharacteristics, and one which, in addition, may if'desired, be dropped overboard near a beach l2 and permitted to iloat or be .towed to the land without its contents suffering damage from the water.

As seen in Figure l, there is a container 2 having out-er side walls 4 formed in any convenient shape such as a cylinder, the walls 4 being made of a waterproof material such as asphalted paperboard, fiberboard, or other material. There is an inner storage tube -or cylinder 5 almost as long as the outer tube 4 and made of any suitable material such as berboard and which may be Waterproofed by suitable coating or impregnation, if desired. A number of spaced annular members 8 made of wood or simil-arv material and having a central hole I0 with a diameter just large enough to receive inner storage ltube 6 are disposed between the inner tube 6 and the outer tube 4, as shown.

Cylindrical spacer tubes I Z having an insidediameter just slightly greater than the outside diameter of inner storage tub-e 6, are placed over tube 6 as shown, with their end-s I4 tightly abutting the wooden spacer members 8. Similar cylindrical outer spacer tubes I6 having an outside diameter just slightly smaller than the inside diameter of outer tube Il are similarly located between adjacent wooden spacers 8.

Ii desired, the spacer cylinders I2 and I6 may be glued'in place as they are assembled into the container. This will also result in further securing the wooden annular spacers 8 in place and in giving added strength and vstiffness to the contemer.

At one end I3 of the container a disk 2D of wood or other suitable material, having a diameter equal to the inside diameter oi outer tube `4, extends for part of its thickness in-side the adjacent end of tube I3, as shown, and, has its remaining exterior surface covered by a cup-shaped end portion or cap 22. The end cap 22 may be made of the same material as outer tube 4 and the joint 24 between abutting ends of members 4 and 22 is sealed and made liquid-tight with the aid of a jointmember -or seal ring 25.

The containeras illustrated in Figure 1 will have an end cap 22 at each end and hence it will have at 21 the same type of joint as is shown at 2,4, and which is also illustrated in the fragmem tary enlarged detail view shown in Figure 3. Where it is desired to make additional intermediate joints in the container as shown at 25 in Fig-l ure l, the details of such joints are further illustrated in Figure 2.

As seen in Figure 3, the joint member or seal ring 26, made of sheet metal or other suitable materlal, has a cylindrical portion 28 of an inside diameter which will just enable it to t snugly around disk 2D, and as wide as the thickness of the disk. Seal ring 25 has a thin annular portion 3D extending radially outward from substantially the middle 32 of the width of cylindrical portion 28 to radial location 34 which location is just a little inside the normal outer surface oi outer tube il. From location 34 radially outward, member 26 is divided into two thin `annular porv-i .tions 36 and 38 each being slightly rounded or beaded around its outer rim or edge llr-isjdesired.

To make the joint 24, the disk 20 being in place as shown in 'Figures l and 3, the seal ring'member 26 is placed over and around disk 2D as indicated in Figure 3, with portion 42 of its cylindrical portion 28 disposed between the outside periphery of disk 2E) and the inside of the adjacent endfll of out-er tube 4. The radial portion 30 is in contact with the entire thickness of the end surface 45 of tube 4 as shown, and portions 36 and 38 of member 2-6 extend substantially radi-ally outward approximately in the positions as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 2. The end cap 22 is then placed in the position shown in Figures l and 3, covering the exposed surface of wood disk 2G with its cupped sides 4B covering the portion 43 of cylindrical portion 28 as shown in Figure 3 and the edge 50 of sides 46 right up against annular portion 30 of member 25 as shown.

Then the extended portion 35 oi member 26 is bent or pressed over to the position 52 shown by the full lines in Figure 3, and the-'extended porn tion 38 is bent over in the opposite direction to the position 54 shown-by the full lines in Figure water-tight and strong. However, where addi* f;

tional strength is required, and asshown in Fig.- ure 3, nails orstaples 5l may be driven through the fiber member 4 and 46, respectively, and through the cylindrical metal portions 42 and d8,

respectively, of member 26 into wooden disk 25.

The staples are driven in before the extended portions 36 and 33 are bent to positions 52 and 54. To avoid the necessity for vuse oi special staples strong enoughto penetrate the metal of portions 42 and 48, these metal portions may have a number of spaced perforations through which the staples 5| may be pressed into the disk 20.

Where, as indicated at 25 in Figure l, it` is desired to make the outer casing 4 in two or more sections placed end to end, these may be joined by a seal ring 26 in the manner more particularly illustrated in Figure 2. The only substantial differences between the joints illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, are the use of an annular support meme ber 8 instead of a disk support member 20, and the joining, in Figure 2, oi two cylindrical members 4 and 5 instead of, as in Figure 3, joining a cylindrical member 4 to a cupped end cap 22. Like portions have been given the same reference characters in both gures, and, the joint 25 is formed in substantially the saine manner already described, the inal form of seal ring 25 being substantially a pair of concentric cylindrical portions connected by a radial web 30.

As thus bent or Figure 4 illustrates a modified form of fastening member 26 at 55 which may also be employed without the wooden support members l0 and 20 at the joints. Thus the member 56 has a much thicker base portion 53 which may be rectangular in `cross section, or, as illustrated, may have an inner groove E@ the portion 62 of the base being somewhat thicker than the portion 28 of the member shown in Figures 2 and 3, and added rigidity being obtained by not cutting away the annular ribs 64 and 66. Otherwise, the construction of member 56 shown in Figure 4 is substantially the same as that of member 26 seen in Figures 2 and 3, and is secured in place in the same manner by pressing down the two radially extended portions 36 and 38 against the liber casings 4 and 5, as shown. The thick base ring gives support for the seaming operation.

vFigure 5 illustrates a modified construction of the ends of the container, in which there are outer cylindrical side walls 63 and inner cylindrical walls 13, the latter being suitably shorter than the walls 68 to permit insertion of a, rearwardly cupped end member 12 formed of a disk portion 13 and a cylindrical portion 15, a diskshaped supporting member being located at 14. The members 68, 10, 12 and T4 may be made of fiber or paperboard, or other suitable material,

waterproofed by impregnation or otherwise as required. The members are secured tightly together by means of a seal ring member 'I8 formed of sheet metal. The seal member 18 may be shaped into the cross section shown by the full lines in Figure 5 by means of sheet metalworking machine. Thus the member 18 may have its rearward extension kdivided as shown into two portions 8U and 32, the forward portion 84 of the seal member 'I8 being inserted between the abutting member as shown, with the forward rounded'edge 86 of portion 84 pressed into the surface of meinber l0. The portions 8i] and 82 are then shaped or seamed into the full line positions 88 and 90, respectively, with their rounded edges 92 and 94 being pressed into the abutting liber surfaces making a tight joint.

Another modification is shown in Figure 6 in which there is a cylinder with fiber walls 96, a liber disk-like iiber support 93, a rearwardly cupped liber end member |00 and a metal ringlike sealing member H32 for securing the parts together thus making a tight seal. The seal member H02 may be formed on a metal forming machine, into the cross section illustrated, being tightly pressed around the included fiber members. It has an inner cylindrical portion 106 and a thin annular portion or radial web |08 connecting portions H04 and |36. The ends Il and H2 of portions |54 and H16 may be beaded or rounded and are pressed into the abutting fiber surface to make a tight seal.

Figure 7 illustrates the use of a seal ring similar to that shown in Figures 2 and 3 except that it 1S formed from a single thickness of sheet metal bent or seamed into the desired shape and cross section. The seal ring shown in Figure 5 may similarly be formed from a single thickness of sheet metal if desired, by methods and equipment familiar to the art.

The container generally illustrated in Figure 1, with any desired modications as illustrated in the other gures, shows a convenient and effective shipping package. If the outer surfaces are suitably waterproofed by impregnation, coating or otherwise, it may be dropped into the water and 5 allowed to float or be towed in to shore with its contents in the central storage space.

Although the invention has been described in specific terms, it is to be understood that numer ous changes may be made in the dimensions, shape, materials and arrangement within the spirit of the invention and its scope as claimed herein.

I claim:

1. A hollow cylindrical container comprising concentric outer and inner side Walls with an air space therebetween; a plurality of spaced annular` partition and support members arranged in said air space and dividing same into compartments; a cupped end cap secured to each end of said container; seal rings joining said cupped end caps to the ends of said outer side walls, said seal rings having a pair of concentric cylindrical por tions connected by a radial web portion and .forming a pair of open annular recesses separated by said radial web, for the reception of abutting cylindrical ends of said side Walls and cupped end caps; and a plurality of support disks each disposed with its periphery in contact with the innermost of said concentric cylindrical portions.

2. A hollow cylindrical container adapted to be releasably closed at both ends, reinforcing disks disposed inside each end, a plurality of spaced annular reinforcing members disposed inside said container with their outer surfaces in contact with the outer cylindrical wall of said container, a shorter inner hollow cylindrical member having its respective ends spaced axially inwardly of the corresponding ends of said container and having its outer surface in contact with the inner surfaces of said annular reinforcing members, the opposed ends of said inner member providing sup- 6 ports for said reinforcing disks within said outer Wall of said container, said outer wall cut along at least one plane normal to the axis of said container passing through a reinforcing disk, and the abutting edges of said cut wall tightly joined together by a seal ring comprising a ring having an outwardly extending annular flange divided by plane normal to the axis of the said container into two separate annular projections adapted to bend backward against the said abutting edges to form a pair of concentric cylindrical members connected by a radial Web.

LEWIS E. RICHTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the nie of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 180,416 Clow Aug. 1, 1876 946,703 Nelson Jan. 18, 1910 994,128 Corliss June 6, 1911 1,164,152 Wolf Dec. 14, 1915 1,391,549 Larsen Sept. 20, 1921 1,439,890 Heron et al. Dec. 26, 1922 1,498,218 Weis June 17, 1924 1,649,569 Carle Nov. 15, 1927 1,939,339 Dolan Dec. 12, 1933 1,964,630 Hanlan June 26, 1934 1,988,034 Dolan Jan. 15, 1935 2,350,271 Braloft May 30, 1944 2,369,381 Unke Feb. 13, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 8157/27 Australia May 15, 1928 358,855 France Jan. 4, 1906 

